Absence Makes the Heart Impatient
by Cordelia Darcy
Summary: In which Jane tries to be logical, Thor tries to be patient, and both fail. Post-Movie, Three-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN:_ Hello all! The idea for this came to me out of the blue after I got home from seeing the movie, and simply would _not _leave me alone until I gave in and started writing. Plot bunnies are evil like that...  
>I'm pretty sure that there'll be three chapters to this.<br>Dedicated to Angel of Melius Prime and Golden Pheasant- you guys are amazing, and I can always count on your writing to inspire me!**

**_Disclaimer:_ Thor= not mine. Sad, but true. Ah well. **

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><p>The moon shone brightly through the grime-streaked window of the small silver trailer. Somewhere out in the distance, a lone owl hooted its mournful cry into the hot New Mexico night...<p>

Jane Foster's eyes flew open. Quickly, she shook her head, sweeping her shoulder length light brown hair out of her eyes. With much effort, she heaved her small frame up, propping herself up on her elbows. She hastily rubbed her sweaty palm across the tiny, filthy window of the trailer and moved her face to the spot she'd cleaned, nose pressed to the glass._ "Maybe," _she thought to herself as she looked outside, hardly daring to hope, "_Maybe this time..."_

But there was nothing.

Irritated, Jane collapsed back onto her makeshift bed, sharply huffing out the breath she'd been holding. _"Idiot_!" her inner voice mocked her. _"Of course it was nothing! What were you expecting: wake up, hear a noise, look outside at the sky and bam! See a huge, blinking portal_?" She flopped onto her stomach and groaned into her pillow. She hadn't _really_ expected it to be him; her scientist's mind simply wasn't wired that way. And yet...there was some other part of her, hidden deep inside somewhere; a part of her that awoke every morning filled to the brim with hope, hope that this would finally be the day- the day he came back to Earth.

Back to_ her._

Each day for the past four months she had searched for, hoped for, _worked_ for some way to recreate the access between her world and his, access that had been lost when the Bifrost was destroyed. She'd spent countless hours, often late into the night, poring over astrological charts, university physics texts, "The Children's Guide to Norse Mythology" for God's sake!- but all in vain. Even if she had, by some unlikely miracle, been able to make heads or tails of what she found, the information never reached the logical, scientific part of her brain- because the rest of it was constantly occupied with thoughts _of him_. Even when reading the kids' Norse mythology book earlier that day, the scientist found herself gazing longingly into the eyes of the artist's depiction of "Thor, Norse God of Thunder". At least, she had been until she realized that _this _Thor's eyes were a dull brown, not the clearest, brightest blue you'd ever seen. And his build was wrong, all wrong! The drawing's shoulders weren't nearly broad enough, nor his cape red enough, nor his face kind enough- at this point she had snapped out of it. Of course his face wasn't kind- it had no emotions at all. It belonged to a flat, lifeless drawing, no matter how much she might wish it were the real thing.

After that incident, Jane had become even more weary, barely managing to fake something resembling a smile at Darcy and drag herself back to her little trailer. Once safely inside she had slid slowly down the metal door, chest heaving, her petite body racked with huge sobs that she could no longer contain. Somehow she'd managed to get to her fold-out bed before she completely collapsed, curling into a tiny ball before finally surrendering to sleep. Mercifully, tonight her rest had been void of dreams- since all her dreams had but one subject these days. But somehow through the thick fog of sleep she had heard- _thought_ she'd heard, she mentally corrected herself- a noise outside. Instantly she'd been wide awake, her heart taking an involuntary leap into her throat...

-which brought her to now. Inwardly sighing, she glanced over at her beat-up alarm clock. It had been her tormentor through many sleepless nights, and tonight was no different. **3:02 AM**the neon green lights flashed pitilessly at her. At one time in her life the late hour would've come as a surprise- Jane had ever been one for waking up in the middle of the night. No longer. Trying to ignore the time, she let her gaze wander around the trailer she'd come to call home_. Not much to see_. The dishes from yesterday were still piled in the sink, the remnants of her lunch sitting on them. Her dirty clothes appeared to have multiplied, and had laid claim to a good portion of the floor. And her research materials- _Lets just not think about those. I really ought to clean up a little...not that anyone besides me comes in here. _

Her gaze settled on the unoccupied portion of her mattress, a question suddenly arising in her mind. She scooted over on the bed as far as she possibly could; pressing the back of her body firmly against the trailer wall, then surveyed the leftover space.

Just as she'd thought.

He would fit, but only just barely. Were he here_- _and if they had ever gotten to the point in their relationship- they'd either have to sleep wrapped in each other's arms, or one of them would have to sleep on the floor. Of course, being the stubborn, self-sacrificing_, wonderful_ man that he was, Thor would gravely insist upon her having the small bed all to herself while he slept on the hard trailer floor. Her lips curved up ever so slightly. She'd be damned if she would let him though. When (she wouldn't allow herself to use the word "if") she saw him again, there was no way in hell she was letting him get farther than 3 feet away from her- ever. At this though she smirked. Who would have guessed? Who would've ever thought that she, calm, science-loving, _logical_ Jane Foster could be so passionate about something? _Or someone... _Previously, no one. Nobody had ever really looked beyond the front she put up to hide her emotions-

Until he came along, that fateful night, half-dazed (which may or may not have had something to do with his standing in the way of her speeding van) and shouting at the sky- the ravings of a madman, she had thought. _Albeit a drop dead gorgeous one. _But for once, Jane Foster had been wrong. It had been obvious from the beginning that he wasn't like other men, and _not_ just because of his inhuman strength and jaw-dropping physical features, though those were definite plusses. Unlike other men, his looks were an expression of who he truly was: beautiful in body and heart.

When had she first begun to love him?

Perhaps it had been when he expressed his admiration for the local diner's coffee by _smashing his cup on the floor. _

Maybe it was when he had taken her small hand in his enormous one and gently pressed his lips to it.

_Darcy _would probably say it was the first time she saw him shirtless. Speaking of Darcy..._I swear, if that girl makes one more hammer joke, I will _not _be held responsible for my actions. _

But if she had to pinpoint a moment, it was when she'd looked into his eyes and for the first time saw_, really_ saw what was in them. What she wouldn't give to look into those eyes again. She swore she would never take them- or_ him -_ for granted again.

Reluctantly, Jane moved her pillow to the center of the bed. She had always complained about it being small, but now it felt all too empty. She reached under the bed and grabbed an extra pillow, pulling it to her chest and squeezing it as if she'd never let go. A poor substitute for the real thing, but for now it was all she had. She'd have to be content knowing that somewhere out there, in the vastness of the universe, was the man- _god _- she loved.

And he was doing everything within his power to get back to her.

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><p><strong><em>AN:<em> And there you have it! Chapter two (which may or may not be from the perspective of a certain blonde god...cough cough) will be up within a few days. See, I already have it written out, but I'm forcing myself to wait to post it until I write Chapter Three (the last chapter). I tend to get sidetracked...but not this time, don't worry! I'm looking forward to this being complete!**

**Review, por favor? :) Reviews make me extremely happy, so if you want me to be happy, click that beautiful little button below. (It says "Review", just fyi). And remember, a happy writer updates quickly! Cough cough. **

**If you see any errors (spelling, grammar, whatever) please point them out! **

**Hope you enjoyed it,**

**~Cordelia**


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: **_**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! Hope you're enjoying it, and thanks for reading.**

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><p>The god of thunder had never been one for patience. Today, however, he was particularly short-tempered, as the day had at last come when (gods willing) he would be able to return to Earth.<p>

_To Jane._

The last time he'd spoken to her, he'd given his word that he would come back, _no matter what._ How could he have known then exactly what that promise would entail? Nonetheless, he had promised, and he was nothing if not a man of his word. Since that day, Thor had not rested. Immediately after the fight with Loki, he'd begun consulting with Heimdall on when and how the Bifrost might be reconstructed. There had been those who thought him a fool, who claimed that there was no need for Asgard to be linked to the mortal world, that they were better off without it. One look from him had been all it took to silence them. As it turned out, the rebuilding of the bridge had been a fairly simple task- but a time consuming one. Asgard's finest had been working round the clock for four grueling months, with Thor leading them on. Anyone who'd seen him would agree: he'd worked the hardest, sweated the most, and exerted himself to the point of exhaustion.

And everyone knew why. The god of thunder, heir to the throne of Asgard, and wielder of Mjölnir was in love- with a mortal woman. Considering this, it made perfect sense why he stubbornly refused to leave the partially finished bridge, even to sleep, and why his temper had flared every time they hit the slightest snag in construction. Today was expected to be the final day of work before the Bifrost was ready for use, and things had gotten so bad that Heimdall had ordered Thor to stay in his chambers until it was ready. Naturally, this order had been immediately refused. Obedience came only after two messengers, three attempts at reasoning, five threats, twenty-four armed guards, and one bash over the head with Fandral's sword.

That last one, Thor decided, was likely the reason for his waking up locked in his chambers- with a pounding headache. Groaning, he slowly raised himself to his feet, trying to ignore how the room seemed to be spinning. He supposed he'd eventually have to forgive them for locking him in here- he _had _after all been acting rather_...impatient__, _he thought sheepishly. Or at least that's what Jane would say. He had soon learned to control his temper around her.

_But she isn't here._

His brow furrowed. No, Jane was not here- as if he could've forgotten it for an instant. The lack of her consumed him, she was never far from his thoughts. He wondered how she would feel if she knew the state she had driven him to...

From the first moment he had laid eyes on her, he could tell that something was _different _about her. She wasn't like the other women he'd had- fawning over him, laughing too loudly, acting like fools because that's what they thought he liked. Jane hadn't fallen for his status or appearance, and for that he loved her even more.

Yes, _love. _It had taken being ripped away from her for him to realize the exact nature of the feeling her got whenever he saw her. There were those who thought him incapable of love, only lust. They assumed he was planning on using her to get what they thought he wanted. Others he knew (though none were foolish enough to say it to his face) though her beneath him. _Quite the opposite, _he smiled to himself.

Thor meant to prove them all wrong: he intended to make her his queen.

_If she would have him._

A shadow briefly darkened his face before he pushed the thought away. Not long ago he might have arrogantly assumed that no woman in her right mind would ever turn him down- but that was before Jane. He had no doubt that she was more than capable of rejecting him is he wasn't what she wanted. When she had kissed him he'd been sure- _more _than sure- that her feelings mirrored his own, but now...he couldn't be certain. He had to see her to be positive. With a groan of frustration, he ran his fingers through his thick hair. _Speaking of which..._he probably ought to bathe before he saw her- but what if they finished the Bifrost while he was in the bath? No, he decided, bathing would just have to wait.

Besides, he mused, there would be plenty of time for that on Earth. Though he eventually intended to return to Asgard (with Jane) when the time came for him to assume the throne, he had made up his mind to remain with Jane on her home planet until then. Partially for her sake, yes, but also for himself. Believe it or not, he had actually grown somewhat fond of Earth, despite it's rather strange occupants. That "Darcy" character, for example.

He hadn't been sure how Odin would react to his decision. His father had been hesitant at first, so Thor had explained that despite their odd customs and lack of advanced weapons, he believed there was much knowledge to be gained from observing and interacting with the humans. He thought he's seen his father's mouth twitch at the word "interacting", but he couldn't be certain. Eventually his father had given his consent for him to remain on Earth, since "he'd obviously found something worth staying for." Sometimes Thor wondered just how much his father knew.

And just today, his mother had pulled him aside, grabbed his hand, and gently pressed something cold and hard into his palm, murmuring something about how it needed to be used by someone "younger and more attractive", before quickly walking away. When he opened his fingers, his eyes had widened in surprise- it was his mother's engagement ring. Yes, he was growing ever more positive that his parents knew _far _more than they let on.

He reached his hand into the small concealed pocket within his armor, checking to make sure the ring was still there. It was- just like the last eight times he'd checked. He had definitely been cooped up in here for too long, how much time had passed? Out of the corner of his eye he could see light coming through the chamber window, so it couldn't be too late in the day- _Wait a minute._

_That isn't sunlight. _

His breath caught in his throat. Slowly he made his way to the window and hesitated slightly before looking out, hardly daring to hope.

For the first time in four months, a soft blue light bathed all of Asgard, which could mean only one thing.

The Bifrost was complete.

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><p><strong>...and so is this chapter, finally!<strong>

** The next one will come faster if you review. (No, seriously.)**

**~Cordelia**


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN_: Thank you so much to all my lovely reviewers! You guys never fail to make my day.**

**Please excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes, I typed this on three hours of sleep.**

**And now, the final chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p>Jane was fighting a losing battle against sleep. Every minute or so she would start to feel her eyelids drooping shut, her thoughts drifting off...<p>

She snapped her head up. _Maybe it's time for another cup of coffee... _She glanced over at the recycling bin, filled to overflowing with discarded coffee cups- probably all hers. Darcy refused to drink anything that didn't have the word "organic" on the can, and Erik preferred to use his "I Astrophysics" mug. Now that she thought about it, maybe more caffeine wasn't such a great idea- after all, she had been rather on edge lately. _Though I can't exactly blame that on the coffee..._

Still, all that caffeine couldn't be helping. _So how am I supposed to stay awake then? _Out of habit, she checked the time on her ever-present Blackberry:

11:00 pm.

_Eleven? I have to practically overdose on caffeine to keep myself from falling asleep at eleven? What am I , five? _Then again, she _had _ been up late last night. And the night before that, and the night before tha- okay, so maybe she could cut herself a little slack on that count. Still, she couldn't afford to sleep, she had to work! Reluctantly, she reached for the essay on Einstein-Rosen bridges she'd been trying to annotate before she dozed off- only to find that it had vanished, lost somewhere beneath the mounds of books, sketches, and documents that had managed to accumulate on the table she had commandeered as her workspace.

_Great. Just great._

This was by no means the first time something like this had happened, Jane seemed to have been losing a lot of things lately: papers, her favorite old  
>t-shirt, <em>the god of thunder... <em>Though if she had to choose, she'd obviously go with locating that last one, since bringing back Thor meant she wouldn't be sitting here in the S.H.I.E.L.D outpost, surrounded by clutter, working her butt off long after everyone else had gone home. The rest of the lab techs and S.H.I.E.L.D operatives had left even earlier than usual today, trying to beat the oncoming rain that the weatherman had been droning on about.

_Speaking of which_... Jane momentarily paused in her musings to listen. Sure enough, she could hear the steady pattering of raindrops on the roof. And judging by the frequency of the drops, it had been raining for a while. _And I didn't even notice. Go figure. _For the first couple months after Thor had left, Jane had bordered on obsessive in her observation of the weather. There couldn't be a _cloud _ in the sky without her knowing about it, much less a _storm. Ah, the irony. Obviously I've moved on from that phase. _

The rain beat steadily down as she sifted through the stacks of paper, searching for the essay. _I don't even remember what half of these things are. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they were breeding... _She stifled a yawn. Maybe it _was _time for a break. _Just for a minute, _she told herself, only half believing it. The sound of the rain was incredibly calming, soothing even. Her head sank down onto the scattered papers. Soon, her breathing deepened and the tension in her shoulders eased. Jane Foster was sound asleep.

Had she been awake, she would never have missed the flash of brilliant blue light that shone in through the windows...

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><p>When she hadn't been in her trailer, he knew where to find her. The doors of the S.H.I.E.L.D outpost were locked, so he had to check each window until he found one that had been left propped open with a book. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated to simply smash the door in, but he didn't want to risk setting off any alarms they may have put on it.<p>

Mercifully, no one was around to see him awkwardly squeeze his large frame through the window. After a great deal of effort and a string of muttered curses, he finally found himself inside the lab. At least, he _thought _ it was the lab. It was hard to see anything. _The opening of the Bifrost must have caused a power outage. _He paused to let his eyes adjust to the darkness as much as they could, then tentatively began to feel his way across the room. Judging from the silence and the time of night, he figured that if Jane was, in fact, here, then she had to be asleep. He somehow managed to locate a couch- which was decidedly Jane-free.

He had just begun to consider the possibility that she might now be here- when her saw her. Sitting slumped over a small table littered with papers, her shoulders rising and falling ever so slightly. Thor couldn't recall ever seeing anything so beautiful. He silently made his way over to her. Part of him wanted, _needed, _ to wake her up, to talk to her, to tell her he was sorry for leaving her and that he would never do so again- but...she looked so peaceful. And she _must've_ been tired if she fell asleep here.

_She must have been working..._

He leaned down to examine some of the papers closest to her. Though he could only make out a few words, it was clear what had kept her here so late- trying to bring him back. The small burst of joy he felt at her thinking of him was quickly replaced by a wave of guilt at having deprived her of sleep. _And that table can't be comfortable._

Well, that at least he could fix. Carefully, he bent down and slowly picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Halfway to the couch he felt her tense; he instantly froze. She mumbled something in her sleep that sounded faintly like his name, and it was all he could do not to shake her awake then and there. By some miracle he repressed that urge, and made it over to the sofa. With the utmost care Thor lowered her gradually onto the couch, where she immediately relaxed.

He brushed aside the hair that had fallen to cover her eyes, and lightly kissed her forehead. Kissing of any other variety, he thought reluctantly, would have to wait until she woke up.

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><p><em>In her dream, he held her. His fingers touched her back, her cheek, her hair... She couldn't see him, but she knew he was there. And everywhere there was light; warm, brilliant blue light...<em>

Jane woke to find herself alone and in darkness.

_The power must've gone out._ She started to reach for the flashlight in the drawer beside her bed- but realized she wasn't _in_ her bed, or even in her trailer for that matter. Her confusion at this quickly subsided as the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. _The storm must have knocked down some power lines...and I guess I fell asleep working- _her eyes widened. W_hy am I on the couch? _

But before she could consider this, a faint rustling sound caught her attention. She froze, instantly alert. There it was again, but slightly louder this time. _What the- I'm the only one who comes here this late...and I locked the door. _The rustling subsided, only to be replaced by slow footsteps. _Oh god, what if it's a burglar? Or...or Loki?_

She slowly rose from the couch, just in time to see a shadowy figure come into view. She contemplated making a run for it- but decided against it. The man (it _had_ to be a man) was tall, and his frame appeared pretty muscular. She blinked. Wait a minute...was that a _cape?_

_"_Jane! You are awake!"

_Oh. My God. _

"Wha- what are you _doing_ here?"she tried to ask, but all that came out was "What are you _doing?"_

"I thought," he said, a hint of confusion in his voice, "that you might want some coffee when you awoke, so I ma-"

But by that point Jane had already crossed the room and was kissing him, kissing him because this couldn't be real, because it had to be a dream- but then she heard the sound of a coffee mug hitting the floor and shattering, and _he was kissing her back._

Eventually she had to break the kiss in order to breathe. _Nope, definitely not a dream. _

"It's good to see you too." he chuckled. "If I had known your greeting would be this pleasant, I might've woken you up sooner." She had so many things she wanted to ask him: _How did you get back? Does this mean the Bifrost is repaired? _And perhaps most importantly: _Are you going to stay?_ But when her lips parted to speak no sound came out, so naturally Jane did the only _logical _thing: she kissed him again.

She didn't say "I love you." She knew she didn't have to.

The End.

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><p><strong>Review?<strong>

**Thank you all for taking the time to read this! It's been fun.**

****~Cordelia****

**Addendum: I've noticed that lots of people are adding this to their favorites or Story Alert, but not reviewing! I still appreciate it, but if you read the story and liked it, drop me a review and let me know! :) **


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